The Devil Experiment
by Phantom SunsSong
Summary: Garret grew up alone in the streets of New York, barely remembering her parents, until a man came up to her one day and said something that would change her life. He said he could help her fly...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people, Dragon-Grrrrl here. This story is actually completed, but I'm moving it here from another forum, so, enjoy. Rated for violence.**

I sat, cold and lonely, in the corner of an old dog crate much too small for me. My wings were wearily wrapped around my shoulders for the scant warmth they provided. Yes, wings. One of the most widespread dreams of human kind was flight, aided only by wings. So when the man in the gray overcoat told me, an eight year old orphan living on the streets, that it was possible, that I could _fly_, I jumped at the chance to fulfill my life long dream and escape the hellhole that was the streets of New York once and for all. I never once thought that that jump would land me straight into a place even worse, called the Institute.

My name is Garret, and, you see, I became the newest experiment at a lab under the Institute of Fine Living. (How ironic) The scientists that worked in the lab wanted to see if it was possible to give wings to a person past infancy, make them super human, at the age of, say, eight. It ended up being about a half a year before my five-foot wings could lift me off the ground, my muscles fully developed. I still remember that glorious few minutes in the air, my wings stretched as far as they could reach, the leathery flaps catching the wind- oh, wait, you weren't expecting that, were you? No, I am not two percent bird, but two percent _bat_. And that two percent has done other things than give me wings.

For the last four and a half years, since that first flight, I have been slowly going blind. But, my hearing has been steadily getting better. I can now, instead of seeing, use echolocation: screeching at such a high frequency that only I can hear it, and then determine what my surroundings are from listening to the sound that comes back. Pretty nifty trick, too; I'm not afraid of the dark anymore.

Despite the good things, my life has still been a living hell. Tests are run on me every day, and night. During the day, I am made to fly and run through obstacle courses, in the air and on the ground, without stopping. Then, I must do them again at night when it is pitch black. They are always changed around, so I never know which way to turn. If I stop, I get a shot of electricity, and let me tell you, that isn't fun. The worst part, though, was that I hadn't always been like this. At one point or another, I did have parents. I remember their faces. The other experiments never did. Even among them, I am an outcast. The only thing I looked forward to was when Ari came.

Ari was like me. He was an Eraser, a human that would turn into a werewolf-like wolf man at any given time. Still, Ari was like me; he had been a regular human once, but transformed by these scientists. It was a massive shock when I found out that another mutant named Maximum Ride had killed him. She was one of the original winged experiments, strong and fast like me. But she had killed Ari. And she would pay. I swore to myself that I would escape, track down Maximum Ride, and avenge my best, and only, friend's death.

X

As it turned out, it wasn't until a month later that I actually escaped.

The morning was like every other morning, except that all the big honcho scientists were at a meeting, and a newbie took me out for my morning tests. I tend to like the newbies because they often forget to put on my collar, the one that jolts me with electricity, and are too impatient to make the mazes hard. This one must of been _really_ off, because, not only did he forget my collar, but he didn't even reset the maze. The anger of Ari's death, however, made me realize what I could do. In the middle of the maze, I could jump out and fly far, far away. I grinned devilishly as he shoved me into the maze.

It wasn't long before I was in the middle, and I screeched at the top of my lungs. The screech was loud and high-pitched; perfect to shatter glass. The newbie scientist exclaimed and I hovered until I was above the walls of the maze. To scare the heck out of this green newbie, I shouted, "Seeya later, not!" And flew out of the biggest window and away from there.

Unfortunately, the windows led out to the sewers. Stupid, no? I still managed to get out into the street, not caring who saw me. I launched myself into the air, flying up farther than I had ever thought possible. Finally, my suffering had paid off. I was free, flying above the heads of the people of New York, and away into the sunset.

Meanwhile, back at the Institute, the meeting of scientists was interrupted.  
"B-big flying bat thing escaped! Bat thing escaped!" Shouted one of the new scientists after he had burst in. It wasn't long before the room was clear of all but two men. They were Ari's father, Jeb, and another man.  
"You knew, didn't you, Jeb," the other man said. Jeb wasn't looking at him. "You knew it would escape."  
"Yes, I knew," he replied blandly. "How could she not? She's our little devil, out of all the angel's we've created."  
"What should we do about her?"  
"Nothing." Jeb turned sharply. "Maximum is ready. She will do what I knew she would, all along. She'll save the world from Garret."

**R&R!**

2


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I didn't expect to get such great feedback! These chapters are each actually two parts of the story when I wrote it on a board. If you guys want more Max Ride Stories, go there and find the Fan Fiction board.**

**Angeltears3**: You really think so? Thanks!

**GIRL IN STORY**: There are more stories where the experiments are bat instead of bird, too, but there are more new experiments and surprises to come. Some really weird combinations my friend made up, like combining human, jellyfish, and electric eel.

**Midnight972**: I was upset about that, too. I always thought that, maybe, they could all be friends again. I tend to think that a lot…

**Thanks guys! Max, Fang, and Garret plushies for everyone! And cookies!**

I steadily gained altitude, flying over the city. I was thinking about where I could possibly find that Maximum Ride. For all I knew, she could be on the other side of the planet. I dipped down, deciding to land in the park for tonight. After I landed, I happened to look at a trashcan. Inside was an old newspaper, featuring some flying freaks... Suddenly realizing who they might be, I dug it out. Examining the paper, I decided that Maximum was probably the oldest of them. It was hard to see, the picture was so blurred, but I at least almost got a face. I went to sleep for the night in one of the trees.

I was suddenly awakened by growling.  
"I thought vampires stayed awake at night." I looked down. There were five Erasers at the base of the tree. The only Eraser that I had ever like was Ari. The rest are jerks.  
Yawning, I said, "Yeah, whatever," I wasn't actually yawning, though. I was investigating my surroundings. For now, I had the advantage. I could fly.

I suddenly jumped out of the tree, landing on one Eraser's shoulders. As another came to attack, I jumped off and they collided, clawing at one another. Two down, three to go. Giggling, I flew as high as the branches would let me, then screeched. It was higher pitched than even a dog whistle. I watched gleefully as the Erasers' ears began to bleed. I dispatched them, one after another, in their weakened state. It was so easy. Laughing hysterically, I found a path through the trees, jumping into the moonlight. Night flying, I realized, was much more fun than day flying. Perhaps I would do what the Erasers said; I would fly only at night.

It wasn't very long before I found out where Maximum was heading. In fact, it was rather easy, after a few changes occurred and new powers manifested themselves.

* * *

The third morning after my last encounter with the Erasers, they attacked again, but this time with a larger force. After I landed among some trees in the park, they jumped out from behind the trees. There were ten of them. I was surrounded. 

Before I could make a move, five of them jumped at me. Three pinned me to the ground while the other two tried to give me a concussion.

And then it went black. Everything. The forest, the Erasers... Absolutely everything. And I loved it. I could see, when no one else could.

You see, it was a solar eclipse, when the moon covers the sun. Everything goes pitch black. I think that was the day I went insane. Insane with power. Insane with strength. Insane with a lust for blood.

First, I felt myself get stronger. Then I felt my wings stretch. Then, my nose grew outward into a stubby muzzle like that of a fox. My hands morphed into powerful claws. My ears grew bigger and pointed. They could move, allowing them to catch every sound. My teeth became long and sharp, made for puncturing more than ripping. Then, last of all, fine black fur sprouted all over my face and arms.

I wasn't an Eraser, that was for sure. But I wasn't what I used to be. I was powerful, more than the puny creatures before me. More than anything else on Earth. I could achieve absolutely anything.

Grinning and laughing, I ripped off the heads of the five Erasers closest to me. Then, I killed four more, leaving one. It was groping around, trying to see. It didn't realize its companions were dead. I grabbed its neck and lifted it off the ground.

"Tell me where Maximum Ride is," I spat, "And I won't rip off your head." Sputtering and crying, it said, "Wa-Washington duh-D.C." Hissing in delight, I broke its neck and threw it to the forest floor.

Just then, the sun was revealed. I allowed myself to change back. I could do it again anytime, now that I knew how.

**R&R! A lot more fighting this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I'm back. I've changed my name to Light Dragon SunsSong, as you may have noticed. Also, I am combining TDE and it's sequel, because they are both rather short… Just a heads up.**

I had only been in Washington, D.C. for a day and I was already mad. I hadn't even seen a feather of Maximum Ride, and I'd been constantly chased by Erasers. Not that I couldn't have taken them, but it would be conspicuous to see this 13-year-old beating up hairy wolf men. So I had to run. Needless to say, I was not only angry, but I was dead tired. Then, after I had been asleep for about five seconds, the Erasers attacked again. But this attack was different. There was a human with them.

By the time I was awake, they had already pinned me to the ground. I was about ready to change and rip them to little tiny bits when a man came up. I ended up using echolocation to identify him; he was that newbie scientist that let me escape.

"So, we've finally caught you," he said, grinning. Then, when I snarled, he took a half step back.

"You can't escape, Garret," he said, trembling. "However strong you are, you're not stronger than these Erasers." That's when he got haughty and made me even madder. Big mistake.

"You're caught now, and you'll never escape again. You'll stay in that cage until your cells unravel."

"Wanna bet?" Then, I started changing for the second time. The Erasers restraining me might as well have been tissue paper. After I killed every one of them, I turned and saw the newbie running in fear. Growling viciously, I jumped into the air and followed him into a secluded part of the park. Where no one would hear him scream.

He was the first human I ever killed. And it was fun.

The next day, I was again walking the streets of Washington, searching for the elusive Maximum Ride, when I accidentally bumped into this little girl. Her hair was blonde and her eyes were blue. She was also wearing a windbreaker, like I was. She seemed familiar. Then, out of the blue, she said, "Why do you want to kill Max?" I was shocked, but it only lasted for about a second. She was a mutant too! More than likely one of Maximum's 'flock'. A plan hatched in my head, but I was careful not to think about it.  
"Now, why would I want to do that?"  
"I dunno. I asked you first." This kid was getting on my nerves. Then, I heard a yell.  
"Angel! Where are you!" The girl opened her mouth to yell back, and I quickly clapped my hand over it. I didn't like using a mutant like me like this, but I had no choice. Besides, I wasn't going to hurt her, just Maximum.  
I looked around. No one. I ducked into an alley as the kid squirmed. I opened my wings, ripping through the feeble cloth of the windbreaker, and easily power flapped up and onto the nearest building. I looked around for a group of teens... There. One of them I recognized as Maximum. I followed them down the street. They all looked distressed, as though looking for a lost child. Well, duh, they were.

"Angel!" I jumped from house to house, spreading my wings for balance. It was late now, and it was almost dark. I would be able to fly then.   
Suddenly, right in the middle of a jump, 'Angel' bit my hand. Flapping, I kept airborne and bit my lip to keep from screaming. I landed and somehow managed to rip off my windbreaker and keep the little girl from running away. I tore off a piece to use as a gag and tied the rest around her. By this timed it was night, and I flew holding the windbreaker, the girl dangling below me. Maximum and her gang hadn't gone, and were now heading to where ever they were staying. After following them there, I wrote a ransom note, telling Maximum to retrieve her alone. I added a lock of the girl's hair to make sure my directions were followed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here it is. The next chapter. Dun dun dun! > **

* * *

The Gasman was the first to wake up the next morning. As he sat up, he noticed a neatly folded piece of paper about a foot from his... foot. He leaned forward and grabbed it, unfolding it carefully. As he scanned through the letter, his face got grimmer. He quickly got up and tapped Max on the shoulder.

"Max," he said, "I found out where Angel is." Max sat up immediately as Gazzy shoved the paper into her hand. Max would go anywhere... Her hands shook as she read the letter. It said;

Maximum Ride:

If you value the life of 'Angel', you will meet me in the forest behind the White House at 9:00 P.M. tonight. Come alone, or I'll kill her there.

Signed, The Devil Experiment

Max's face turned beet red, and she tore the paper into little tiny bits, but not before removing Angel's hair from it.

"I can't believe it..." she breathed. They were using Angel to get to her! She had no idea who 'The Devil Experiment' was, but she would rip them apart, Eraser or not.  
"Tell everyone," she said to Gazzy. "And tell them I'm going. Alone."

Meanwhile, I sat behind a tree behind the White House, the girl about three feet in front of me, so I could make sure she couldn't escape.

_Why are you doing this?_ I started. Who was that? Looking around, I saw the girl staring straight at me. Then I remembered she could read my mind, too.

'I have nothing against you,' I said mentally. 'Maximum Ride killed my best friend, Ari. I want revenge.'

_Ari was your friend? He wasn't very nice to us,_ she paused. _He stuffed me in a bag and took me back to the School._

'Ari? Did that? Ari would never do such a thing!'

_Well, he did._ I'd heard of the School from the other scientists. It was another lab, where the 'flock' had escaped. It was supposedly somewhere in Death Valley.

_Max didn't mean to kill Ari. She was protecting herself. He was going to kill her._ I started again. Ari? Kidnap or kill someone? I couldn't imagine it. Not my Ari. Not the little kid with a father that didn't care, not the seven-year-old man I knew. Not my Ari. And yet... I could believe it. This girl was almost as young as he had been. They don't lie.

This was about the time my sanity began to return.

Should I really go through with this? Kill Max? Is that what I wanted? What did I want? I turned to the girl. She was looking down now, sad. Could I really kill this person that she, and the rest of them, loved so much?

_Yes..._ Yes. Yes, said a voice in my head. Yes. I had come this far. I was almost done. Nothing could stop me. Nothing.

And my sanity slipped back into oblivion, but perhaps not wholly. My conscience still clung on.

It seemed like an eternity before night fell and it was almost nine. I set everything up and hid in a tree, waiting for the arrival, and confrontation, of Maximum Ride.

Max trudged angrily through the brush, stomping small shrubs. She was MAD.

No one, and she meant NO ONE, was going to use Angel as bait for her. She'd rip them apart, limb-by-limb. She finally came to a clearing, where Angel sat, bound and gagged by an old dirty windbreaker. Max rushed quickly to her side, and she heard Angel trying to mumble something.

"Shush, Angel, I'm untying you." Finally, when she had undone the gag, Angel screamed, "RUN, MAX, SHE'S GOING TO KILL YOU!" It was a split second of shock before Max whirled around and saw malicious yellow eyes peering down from the treetops. Max immediately backed up to protect Angel. I revealed myself, completely transformed, and leapt from the tree and landed on all fours on the mossy ground, wings erect. Max was terrified, I could tell, but she was willing to die for Angel. Good.

I lunged forward, slowly and pretending to be off balance. Max moved, taking flight with Angel and rushing up through the trees. She hoped I couldn't fly. Big mistake. I rushed upward, too, breaking branches along the way. At some point Max had put Angel in a tree to free her hands.

Despite my size, I was incredibly agile in the air, at least as much so as Max. I flew up high, circled, and then dove suddenly and swiftly, hoping to end it now. Max managed to move in time, but not before I left a big gash in her back; not life threatening, but enough to hamper a little. I circled again. She was faster than I expected.

"You must be a new kind of Eraser!" She yelled from below. I grinned. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm no Eraser," I roared, "But Ari was! And you killed him! Now," I paused, readying for the last dive, "you'll pay!" I propelled through the air as fast as a bullet, claws reaching for Max's neck. Then, something pulled me off at the last minute. Her look of surprise, fear... Or was it surprise and sorrow? Did she, could she, regret killing Ari?

"I-I didn't mean to kill him," she stuttered. "It was an accident. I was trying to knock him out. I didn't realize..."

"No, you didn't." I turned, changing back to my normal self, my voice normal and high-pitched with sorrow.

"You couldn't understand. At least you fit in, fit in with you're flock... I didn't anywhere." I turned my head, tearstained face looking at her.

"You were born with those wings! You've always been like that. But me.." I turned my head away again. "I was picked up off the streets with the promise of flight. I never realized what would happen. My only friend was Ari." Then I lashed out, punching her in the nose. "And you had to kill him!" Weeping, I let myself fall. I couldn't deal with the sorrow, the disappointment in myself for not carrying out the death of the one who killed my friend. I was unconscious by the time I hit the ground.

* * *

**R&R, people!**


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up, someone was looking at me. Screaming, I sat up and scooted back. It turned out to be one of the girls I had seen walking with Max. She looked at me, and then started talking.  
"Did you really have a fight with Max? I bet it was hard, she's tough. Did it hurt falling through those trees? Are you okay? Why don't your wings have feathers? Are you like me? Did you come from the School? Or are you from the Institute..." I eventually just tuned her out and started looking around. It was then I remembered: Max. The whole battle came rushing back. I was still angry, full of hatred and anguish, but it wasn't as bad. I didn't feel the urge to kill Max, but the urge to kill itself was still there. My humanity, my sanity, was slowly returning, but I would have loved some Erasers to come at that moment. Erasers... And what were the Erasers created by? I remembered killing the scientist. As far as I could see, if you traced back, the scientists caused this whole thing. More would happen, too, if they weren't stopped. Killed. Destroyed. I could do that.  
Suddenly, as if knowing this bloodlust and fury I felt could be used to better the world, I felt like a ton was lifted off my shoulders. I smiled.  
"What's wrong?" The girl said.  
"Oh, nothing," I replied. "What's your name, anyway?"  
"I'm Nudge," she said. I smiled.  
"Nice to meet you, Nudge. I'm Garret." Just then, a boy wearing all black, his wings black, too, came crashing in. He glanced at me with malice, then said to Nudge, "Hurry! Erasers are coming!"

I jumped up and was about to ask where they were when the boy was attacked from behind,(sorry Fang fans!) slashing up his back. The Eraser turned to attack Nudge, who was in shock from seeing the boy attacked, and I jumped to intersect.  
I kicked it in the nose, feeling cartilage being smashed to smithereens under my foot. I hovered backwards, changing all the while. The Eraser jumped at me, but I had transformed enough that I was stronger than it and swatted it away from me like a fly. It hit a tree, and I heard its backbone crack. I didn't worry about it.  
Fully transformed, I smashed through the trees, not taking the time to land, and saw the others, including Max, surrounded by about ten Erasers, doing pretty well as it was. They had managed to fight off one.  
I lunged at the nearest, who was attacking the youngest boy, and deftly ripped off its head. I continued grabbing the nearest one and killed them as quickly as I could, although the clearing was getting rather bloody.  
When they were all dead, I was exhausted and changed back, slumping to the ground. The youngest boy, Angel, and Max stared at me with disbelief, while the last boy stood there with his hands on his hips. It was about a minute before I realized that he was blind.  
"Well? Is anyone going to tell me why no one is talking?" He said irritably.  
"This big bat Eraser thing jumped in and killed all the regular Erasers, and then it turned into that girl that Max said attacked her because she accidentally killed Ari," the youngest boy said. The blind boy's mouth dropped open.  
Just then, Nudge ran in.  
"Fang needs- Whoa, what happened here?" She turned to me. "You did this, Garret? You killed all the Erasers?" I looked at my hands. They were all bloody.  
"Yeah, I guess I did." For some reason, Nudge smiled.  
"Wow, that's SO COOL! Oh by the way," she turned to the others, "You know Angel and Max, but this is Iggy and the Gasman, or Gazzy. You know, Angel and Gazzy are really brother and sister. And Fang..." her face went white.  
"Fang! Fang needs help!"

The whole group of us jumped up, running to the aid of the injured boy. I got there first.  
Sitting on my knees, I carefully turned him over, inspecting his back. He had four long gashes, two of which at the base of his wings. It looked like a couple feathers had been torn out. It was pretty bad.  
"He needs help." I looked around at the now assembled mutant kids. "Do any of you know someone who could help?" I held my breath, then said, "If we don't, he'll die." Every one of their faces went white. I thought for a second we would have to take him to a hospital when Max spoke up and said, "I do. She's a vet, but she can help."  
"Well," I said, "We'll have to carry him." I turned to Max, momentarily feeling that I had suddenly assumed her position as leader.  
"I know the way, but you guys will have to carry him."

As it turned out, I ended up transforming and carrying him. I was barely able to contain myself, but, luckily, it wasn't hundreds of miles away. We were able to reach the house by sunset.  
"I have to approach the door," Max said, looking at us. "I'm the only one they know. When I say to, bring him out." I was no longer transformed, so Iggy and I had to carry him to the door when the time came. But before that, Max walked up.

Max knocked on the door twice. It was answered by a girl a little younger than me. The girl almost screamed with joy.  
"Max! You came back! But why-"  
"We don't have much time to talk," Max said. "I need to see your mom. One of my friends got hurt really bad."  
"Okay, hold on just a sec." The girl ran back in, and a woman then came to the door.  
"Max, what happened?"  
"One of my friends got hurt," Max repeated. "I didn't know who else to go to."  
"Do they have..."  
"Yes." I figured they were talking about wings. So someone besides the scientists knew about us.  
"Okay, guys." That was our cue. I picked up Fang's head and torso while Iggy carried his legs. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel followed us. The woman waved us inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the feedback, guys! A new character, created by a very good friend of mine, makes their debut in this chapter. Tell me what you all think of Wrorgon! More strange experiments will be coming!**

The woman led us inside. The whole house had a kind of, well, homey feel that made me claustrophobic. I wanted to get out of there.  
We eventually came to a bedroom, where the woman had us set Fang on the bed. The woman turned him over, and gasped, and it wasn't because he had wings.  
"What happened to his back?" She whirled on Max. "Who did this?"  
"The evil guys who were chasing us," Nudge piped up. "They're called Erasers. They change into these big wolf lookin' dudes with-"  
"Okay, enough," the woman said. She turned back to Max. "Why were they chasing you?"  
"Because," Max said, "We're _special_. They work with the guys who created us, and they want us back." Her mouth set into a hard line. "But we aren't going back. Ever." The woman nodded, already defeated.  
"Okay, but you need to watch him. I have to go get supplies from the vet office, but I'll be right back." She hurried out of the room. Moments later, we heard a car rev up and pull out of the driveway. That's when the girl came back.  
"You said there weren't anymore of you, Max," she said.  
"I know, but I kinda have to keep a low profile," Max replied. "It wasn't real great that I let you guys know about me, let alone the rest of the flock."  
"And those not in the flock," I added. Max turned to me.  
"What do you mean? You're in the flock, unless you don't-"  
"I can never be in the flock, Max," I said. "I tried to kill you, and, even if the rest of you can get over that, Fang never will, despite the fact that I'm helping him now. This was just to make up for our- fight. Fang's gonna be fine now, and I have different objectives than you do, so it's better that we split up." I turned to the door and walked through.  
"I doubt I'll see any of you guys again, if you plan to stay away from the school, because that's where I'm going. I'm going to destroy this whole organization, stop the madness, before anyone else is hurt, even if I have to kill every one of them son-of-a-guns."  
Suddenly, there was a crash to my right. Oh, God, don't let it be Erasers...  
But guess what. It was.

I ran into the living room, skidding to a halt. Filing in from the broken window were Erasers. Tons of them. My heart skipped a beat. I was good, but... Was I that good? I counted twenty already. Then, the last thing to come in, was obviously a new experiment. At first, all I could see was it's head poking through the window. It had a wolf head, though easily three times bigger than the head of a average wolf. Instead of a muzzle, however, there was a giant, gleaming, vicious beak, like that of a hawk. This was half hawk, half wolf. Its paws,er, talons, clung the outside of the window frame. Its eyes, however, were what struck me most. They were icy blue, and unlike a hawk or wolf either one. They were human. It jumped in through the window, the Erasers instantly making room for it. The back legs also had talons, like the front, and its body was mainly that of a wolf except a ridge of long brown feathers from the back of its head to its tail, a mottled mess of fur and feathers. Sprouting from it's back was two sets of giant gray and brown wings, one set smaller than the other. It was, indeed, an amazing an terrifying sight.  
_I am not an it, little batgirl,_ a deep voice said in my mind. I jumped. Angel...? No. It had to be the wolf-hawk thing.  
_I am Wrorgon,a Hawfum, not an it, not a wolf-hawk thing. Now,_ it stopped, sitting on its haunches, staring me in the eye with those big, blue ones. _I am looking for the one named Garret. Have you seen her?_  
"Yes," I replied boldly, aloud. "I am Garret." The Erasers cowered away, obviously having heard of what I had done to others of their kind.  
"Good," it said, this time aloud. "I have come to take you back." It lunged at me, landing squarely on my chest. The breath was knocked out of me, and I stared up into its face.  
_Now, listen to me._ This mental thought was much quieter, almost a whisper. _I'm going to grab you in my beak. Pound at it, but don't struggle. We'll lead these beasts outside and finish them off._  
'Why are you helping me?' I thought.  
_Because I, too, am tired of being tested. Tired of being treated like an animal, no matter how I look. I am human inside, most of the time._ While I puzzled over what 'most of the time' meant, he picked me up and leaped through the window, landing gracefully outside, while I pounded, pretending to try and get away. Then, once the rest of the Erasers jumped out into the night, Wrorgon released me and I changed, grinning maliciously. Wrorgon and I killed them all. He was more vicious than I was, ripping at them with talons and beak like they were tissue paper. He was like an animal. That was when the meaning of his words dawned on me.

**R&R, or I'll send Garret after you!  
****Garret: Shaddup. You can't control me.  
Wanna make a bet? I can do all kinds of things to you... _laughs maniacally  
_Garret: That's just creepy.  
Seriously, guys. R&R.**


	7. Chapter 7

Once the fight was over, I half jumped, half flew back up to the window, to let Max and the flock know about what happened. But, as I started walking down the hall back to the bedroom where Fang was, I heard a scream. My heart skipped a beat. What if we hadn't...? I ran and burst through the door just in time to see the sneering head of the last Eraser. I suddenly heard the sound of a helicopter approaching overhead. I jumped through the bedroom window and unfurled my wings just in time to be blasted back by a gust of wind from the copter. I was flung backwards and hit the house, hard, but I wasn't hurt that bad. By the time I got up, though, they were gone.  
Cursing, I flew back up to the window. That's when I realized that they had left Fang, the injured one. He was waking up.  
Half heartedly opening his eyes, he looked up at me and said, "Max? Is that you? The Eraser-"  
"It's okay," I said. "Go back to sleep."  
"Ohh, my back hurts..." He groaned, but then he closed his eyes again.  
"Wha-what just happened?" I hadn't noticed until now, but that little girl, Ella, had been sitting there in a corner the whole time. I had completely forgotten about her.  
"Evil people came and took Max and her friends away." I said, looking at her.  
"But you're Max's friend, too."  
"No, not really." I sighed. On top of all that had happened, Max had been kidnapped and I would have to go save her. Wrorgon would come, if for no reason other than to get back at those scientists, but I would have to wait for Fang. That would slow us down, and he wouldn't be much help in a fight, either.  
I heard something outside the window. Turning, I saw Wrorgon's head.  
_You need to find your friends,_ he said, eyes whirling, _and I need to find my brother. I had to leave him there, but I have to go back._  
'Alright, then,' I thought. 'We'll make an adventure of it. Just you, me, and Fang over here against amazing odds.'  
_Sounds good._  
And that was when the car pulled in.

It was a week since Max and the rest had been kidnapped, and Fang swore that he was fine.  
"Are you sure?" I said the twentieth time.  
"Yes!" He said with force. "I am." I sighed. Even when he was arguing, he still didn't say much.  
"Fine," I said with finality. "We'll leave tomorrow. But you are riding Wrorgon."  
"But-"  
"No buts." I glared at him. "You'll mess up your wings trying to fly in this condition." Fang finally gave up, glaring back at me. The two of us were getting into a glaring contest when Wrorgon stuck his head through the door.  
_We should leave now,_ he said. I looked outside to see that it was dark. My favorite element.  
"Okay," I said to him, turning back to Fang. "You do know where the School is, don't you?" Fang nodded. "Good. Then let's get going."  
I left a note for Ella and her mom before we left. I didn't want them to freak out. After that, I helped Fang get on Wrorgon and we were off.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, here's another update. Only two chapters after this, guys! Aren't you excited? Anyway, just so you know, I'm NOT going to combine this and its sequel. You'll just have to wait. Most likely, not too long.**

The trip was shorter than I could have guessed, talking to Wrorgon. Besides the fact that he was a lot smarter than he looked, being a wolf/hawk thing, but he also had a great personality. A real funny guy. Somehow, he seemed to be able to talk with the birds that flew by. At least, he made a kind of twittering noise when they flew by. Who knows, maybe he can talk to animals?  
I did attempt conversation with Fang, so did Wrorgon, but we didn't get anywhere. Always either a nod or a grunt. He seemed preoccupied the whole time, thinking of other things. Not that I could blame him.  
The only thing that Fang said was when we were half way. By that time, Wrorgon and I needed a rest. We were out in the middle of nowhere, as far as I could tell, with cliffs all around us. Once Fang had gotten off Wrorgon's back, he sat down looking at the sky. Pretty soon, lots and lots of giant hawks came, all of them settling down around Fang and Wrorgon. They wanted nothing to do with me. I ended up trying to rest several yards away from the rest of them. The sun was coming up by then, and I was ready for rest.

That next night, Wrorgon rubbing his beak in my hair awakened me. Looking up, he said, _there are squeaking noises all around us, and black things flying around!_ I sat up and looked around. Unable to see anything, I screeched. Wrorgon shook his head a little, but didn't say anything.  
All around us were bats. They were all sizes, ranging from giant Flying Foxes with a wingspan of six feet to little brown bats. Several settled around me arms and wings, a little vampire bat clung to my hair. Smiling, I shook the ones off my wings and jumped into the air. Colonies upon colonies of bats followed me, making a giant cloud of them. After a while of flying, we set off again.

By the next morning, we had finally made it to the School, or at least several yards away from it.  
"Okay, guys," I said, "We need to come up with some kind of plan. Something that will get us into the place quick."  
"Why not just the front doors?" Wrorgon suggested. "I could bust them open." I was sure he could.  
"That's crazy!" Fang exclaimed, surprising us both. "We'll all get killed!"  
"Not with me," Wrorgon said boldly.  
"Or me, if I change," I said. "If you're scared, you can stay out of our way until we get to the cages."  
"No way," Fang said hurriedly. "You're not leaving me out." I grinned. I knew he was going to say that.

**R&R, like always! Tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, it's me again. I believe the next update will be the last, just so you guys know.**

It was all easy, actually. Too easy. Wrorgon busted open the doors with ease; they weren't even metal. We all walked in, me in front looking rather scary, Fang behind me, wings outstretched to maximum length, and then Wrorgon behind. No one was there. We walked on, Now Fang in the front. He led us to the room where they kept the cages. He rushed over to Max's cage while Wrorgon was looking in each one, trying to find his brother.  
"No!" I heard Max hiss. "Go back! It's a trap!"  
"Indeed it is," a man walked in, followed by about twenty Erasers, that I didn't recognize. Wrorgon and Fang both growled one word.  
"Jeb." The man, Jeb, took something out of his pocket that looked like a remote control. He pressed a button, and I heard Wrorgon howl. Whirling, I saw him. He looked, different. His eyes were now bright yellow, like a wolf's, and his beak clacked in anticipation. His talons scratched the floor. He was no longer human at all. The thing I noticed most, through, was the glowing collar around his neck.  
"Kill the boy," Jeb said. "But not Garret." I heard Max yell in fury and anguish as Wrorgon leaped at the helpless Fang. I lunged at Wrorgon, sending him flying, trying to rip off the collar. He bit and scratched at me, but, somehow, I was stronger. I ripped off the collar, dismayed as fur and flesh came with it. In a last desperation attempt, Wrorgon howled and slashed me across the face. I felt my eyes being ripped out, and I screamed. Wrorgon backed up. He was back to his normal self.  
"Garret, I-"  
"Just go!" I screamed. "Leave me alone!" I temporarily forgot where I was until I heard Jeb give the order for the Erasers to attack. Growling, I lunged at them, pain and loss of sight forgotten. I just used echolocation.

I ended up, in the rage that I was in, killing most of the Erasers. When no more stood before me, I turned to Jeb. I could see him in my mind's eye, face contorted in fear. I jumped, but was hit. It was Wrorgon  
"No, Garret!" He yelled at me. "Leave him! He's helpless!" I laughed maniacally.  
"So was that other idiot scientist, but that didn't stop me from killing him!" The loss of my sight had driven me back down the path I had been before I met Max. When I was alone, with nothing in the world for me but to kill...  
Angel must have read my mind. I heard her shout.  
"Don't kill people anymore! You are just like you were before! You can't kill people!" I sighed, feeling the anger seep out of me. I went back to being a regular person with bat wings again. I heard Jeb get up and run.  
"Okay," I said," let me up. We need to open some cages.

**R&R! Please.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! Final chapter, and it is quite long, for one of mine. Enjoy the final installment of The Devil Experiment!**

We all split up, Angel waiting by the door with Wrorgon. Wrorgon, lacking regular fingers like the rest of us, had trouble opening cages. The rest of us ran around unlocking cages, their occupants going to stand by the others.  
I eventually came to the last cage that had not been open, examining it with sound. Inside were actually two mutants. Tiny teenagers, one a boy with shoulder length hair and hard eyes and a younger girl with extremely long hair and wearing what seemed to be a white dress. Their most distinctive trait, however, were tiny wings. Unlike the Flock and I, they weren't bird or even bat wings. The boy's looked like jagged dragonfly wings, the girl's precise and elegant butterfly wings. They were fairies.  
I opened the cage and stuck my hand inside.  
"Hurry," I whispered, "I'm helping you escape. We need to get out of here quick." The boy jumped on my hand first, and then, after waiting about ten seconds, motioned for the girl to hop on.  
"I'm R.C.," the boy said after I had taken them from the cage. "And this is N.C., or Eny."  
"Garret," I said, turning to walk back. "Nice to meet you." As I went to go meet with the others, Wrorgon came to me.  
"Tino wasn't with them," Wrorgon said, meaning his brother. "He must be somewhere else. We _have_ to find him. I already told the others to go on." I nodded and held my hand to face level to talk to R.C.  
"If you guys want to leave now, you can. We may not be leaving for a little bit."  
"That's okay," R.C. said boldly. He looked warily back at the large group. "I think we'll stick with you." I didn't blame him. As big a group as that was, and as small as R.C. and Eny were, they could get hurt. The two of them fluttered off my hand and landed instead on my right shoulder.  
"We'll stay here, for now," R.C. said in my ear. I nodded slightly and headed off with Wrorgon to a door on the opposite side of the hall of cages.

Strangely enough, as soon as we emerged, we came upon a large tube filled with what I guessed was water, since I couldn't see inside but I heard gurgling. Wrorgon went forward and tapped on the glass with a talon. What happened next, since I was unable to see exactly, was told to me by combination of Wrorgon and R.C.  
A transparent human shaped blob was floating in the middle of the tube, like in one of those weird alien movies. After Wrorgon tapped the glass, he stepped back, as did I. Yellow slits that appeared to be eyes opened around the face area of the creature. Suddenly, bolts of electricity flashed around the inside of the tube, soon completely surrounding the creature inside. It glowed bright white for a moment, then exploded. Broken glass flew everywhere, somehow not hitting any of us. From the wreckage of the tube stepped out a boy- Tino. As Wrorgon later informed me, Tino was a crossbreed of human, jellyfish, and electric eel. The combination of human and jellyfish gave his skin a sort of molecular instability, allowing him to change his general appearance at any moment, although he could not change his insides. The combination of electric eel gave him power over static electricity to a higher scale than that of any eel. He was the best assassin the world would ever see- if he wanted to be, of course. Tino was actually barely ten.  
Tino ran over to Wrorgon, hugging and clinging to his fur.  
"I knew you'd come back. I knew you wouldn't leave me." Wrorgon cooed in a motherly way and in some way hugged his brother back. It was all very touching until the Erasers came.  
Apparently, some kind of alarm went off, and we were soon surrounded. Not that it mattered much. While Wrorgon and I ripped Erasers apart, Tino fried them. To my surprise, even R.C. and Eny could fight them, little as they were.

They both jumped off my shoulder and began to fly around each other in tight spirals, gaining speed and altitude. They had created a miniature cyclone.  
Without warning, they both broke free, zooming like bullets. They singled out an Eraser, both flying on opposite sides of its neck. They were so close that their wing tips touched. Instead of crashing, however, their wings went through the Eraser, cutting the head clean off. Their wings were made of some kind of light metal or plastic. They circled around to go again.  
Between us all, we'd killed the Erasers. We ran back the way we had come, aiming for the door. After a few more minor skirmishes, we made it to the door and ran out before anyone could stop us. We all jumped into the air, Tino, the only one of us who couldn't fly, on Wrorgon's back. We jumped into the sky and away.

About a mile of flying later, R.C. was zooming around my face, looking at me funny.  
"What happened to your eyes?" He asked me. I had had them closed since my fight with Wrorgon, seeing as they were no more of any use.  
"It was an accident while we were there," I explained. "They were torn out while fighting." I didn't realize quite how close Wrorgon was until Tino said something.  
"Who did it? How can you see to fly?"  
"An Eraser did it," I said hurriedly. Wrorgon didn't say a word. "And, I can see because I have special powers because I'm part bat. You see, bats see at night with their ears. They use ultra sonic sound waves that can only be heard by incredibly sharp ears. The sound waves map out what is in front of them, although it leaves out color and anything inside something clear. It is mostly used for navigation, not sight." Tino nodded.  
"Oh, I get it."  
"I'm not sure I do," R.C. said. I had noticed that Eny was quiet and never talked. I was wondering if the scientists had messed up like with Iggy. Maybe she couldn't speak.  
"That's okay," I said, grinning. "All you need to know is that I can see almost as well as you, but kind of in black and white."

By that night, Wrorgon said he needed some rest, carrying the extra weight. Tino just giggled. I grinned. I was getting kind of tired as it was. It was strange, not being able to open my eyes. Having to constantly use echolocation. I really wanted to see my surroundings clearly, full of color... But I couldn't. But still, everything seemed better than it had been. I had gone far since when I had first broken out of the Institute. Hurt, alone, driven by anger and sorrow... Now I was different. I had friends, maybe even a flock, of my own. Everything was better, even if I had to pay with my sight. It wasn't like I needed it as much as most people anyway. My mind drifted back to the thought of all of us being in a flock.  
_Nah,_ I thought. It wouldn't be a flock. Not to me. A flock is of birds. I'm no bird. I'm part bat. A group of bats was a colony. Maybe we're a colony. Maybe.

End of Book One

**Hello again! Just so you know, the sequel will most likely be posted sometime in January. As always, R&R! Until then, bye!**


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